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Halal Forbidden unto you is the dead (carrion) and blood and flesh of swine and, what hath been slaughtered in the name of any other than that of Allah, and the strangled, and beaten to death, and killed by a fall and gored to death by a horn, and that which the wild beasts ate, except that which ye slaughter (in accordance with the prescribed law) Qur’an, Chapter: Al-Maida - Ch 5:3v

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Dhabah Animal or bird must be the one that is permitted Alive, healthy and conscious at the time of slaughter Clean and hygienic (Tayyab, wholesome) Slaughterman – Muslim, trained / licensed Knife should be clean and sharp Allah’s name must be invoked (Bismillahi Allahu Akber) at the time of slaughter Neck arteries, veins, windpipe should be severed by a rapid stroke Blood should be allowed to flow freely

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The Law: Religious Slaughter United Kingdom: All animals should be stunned before they are slaughtered. Exemption for Muslims and Jews. United States: 1958 Humane Slaughter Act (US) Religious slaughter declared humane by Congress

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The science of killing animals without pain All methods have one objective, namely to kill They aim to achieve the minimum pain to the animal How do we compare their effectiveness? How do we assess which one is better or the best? If causing least pain is our main objective, how do we measure pain? FAWC tell us: “there is no objective way of knowing whether the animal feels pain”

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Sensibilities & sensitivities The terms ‘humane’ vs ‘ritual slaughter’? Animal being left to ‘slowly bleed to death’ As if every ounce of pain is being wrung from their tortured bodies, and Their more fortunate counterpart, the ones who are ‘humanely’ killed, are gently put to sleep Humane and ritual, are metaphors to denote US & THEM Brian Klugg, The Guardian, June 11, 2003

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Stunning: One term, one objective, variable effects? Different methods of stunning A given animal species can have different methods applied A given method can be applied to different animals Variable in their ability to achieve the objective

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Stunning also can be painful Stunning is also painful to animals It can go wrong resulting in animal suffering The more the number of animals affected…. So many methods of achieving the same objective of making animal unconscious before they are slaughtered Each method carries risk, has to be evaluated, experimented, and fine tuned

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Pain and distress during exanguination “ It is difficult to measure pain and distress during the slaughter process in an objective scientific manner ” FAWC, 2003, para 194, p 34

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“As to conventional British slaughter, I have personally visited six slaughterhouses and seen, for instance, pigs shackled upside down by one leg, their throats slashed and gushing blood. I’ve seen them slip from their shackles and crash on to the concrete, thrashing desperately and with blood pouring from their throat wound. This is ‘humane slaughter’. ….. I don’t believe that stunning is remotely effective …….. I’ve seen animals…..writhe while shackled – after stunning - and am convinced they are conscious”. Andrew Tyler, Director, Animal Aid The Times, 17 th May 2003

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Animals suffer when stunning goes wrong

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Basic principles to observe(FAWC) Pre-slaughter handling - minimise stress Competent, trained, caring personnel; Use equipment ‘fit for purpose’ Effective process to induce immediate unconsciousness and insensibility Or an induction period of unconsciousness without distress; and Guarantee of non-recovery from that process until death ensues

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Animal Welfare problems in Slaughter Plants P oorly designed or improper stunning and handling equipment Distractions that impede animal movement and cause them to become excited Lack of employee training and poor supervision of employees Poor maintenance of equipment and facilities Poor condition of animals arriving at the plant Temple Grandin

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Achieving Humane slaughter without stunning Handling of animal prior to slaughter Improperly applied stunning methods would be much more stressful than unstunned slaughter Problems with prolonged unconsciousness of cattle and calves can be corrected Rapid loss of consciousness achieved by: –A rapid cutting stroke (95% of all calves collapse almost immediately) –Making the cut as close to the jaw as religious law will permit. Shackling and hoisting [or worse] can be replaced with humane restraint equipment

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Can the increasing demand be met? With the pandemic of obesity declared before the pandemic of Avian flu, it is time we help our public health planners by spreading the Islamic ethos of: Moderation in what we eat, Use of a healthy, balanced diet! Wholesome NOT wholesale Quality NOT quantity

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Pork in Halal Chicken Undeclared water is a mislabelling issue Enforcement – slow but at least now effected 50% of the samples in these investigations contained pork protein and were labelled HALAL Has enforcement tackled this very sensitive issue?

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Making it happen: Religious Slaughter more Humane than any other Invest in pre-slaughter handling Use best available technology Slaughter animals un-stunned No pain with a very sharp cut Release of endorphins if unstressed Animal dies on a “high”